The Phone Call
by GoWashTheLights
Summary: Hank and Marie have a talk. **SPOILERS FOR END OF SERIES**. Rated for drug use. Oneshot.


**Author Note: ***Dies* I just finished this series! It was so amazing! I can't honestly express how beautiful Breaking Bad was. I could go on, but...anyhow, this was just something I wanted to write out because *sniff* I was in tears the last few episodes, since that last moment of Hank's.

Enjoy :)

* * *

_"Baby, you okay?"_

_"I'm much better now."_

_"I gotta go. It may be a while before I get home. I love you."_

_"I love you, too."_

Marie could still feel the painful tingle scattered through her right hand. She sat alone, fighting tears, wishing she could call the police, but enough was enough. For an entire year, enough had been too much. The house was so quiet now.

She'd woken up to the now routine emptiness of the right side of the bed, where he'd been. Her fingers had drifted onto his pillow, where the indent of his head had puffed back into place. Sometimes she would press her fist down, to try and recreate it, but it would never be the same. Hank was gone, onto a much better place, everyone said. Marie couldn't understand that; What place could have been better, than her husband finally catching and arresting the man that had destroyed their family?

It was a thought she always fixated on, and as she sat that morning at the kitchen table, she almost didn't hear the timid knock on her door. At first, she thought it might be Lopez. Of course, _he_ was dead, too, out there somewhere with his partner and waiting to be found. Skyler had been dealing with her own issues - watching out for Walter, living in fear - so it couldn't be her. A coworker?

The knock came again, much louder, and Marie sighed in annoyance. "I can't even go through the five stages of grief without being hassled by someone." She reached the door, and unthinkingly yanked it open. She slammed it shut almost as quickly, before she could even yelp in surprise. She locked the bolt immediately, and fought the urge to slide to the wooden floor.

"..Misses...er, Miss?" Came a sullen, rough voice. The man on the other side looked terrible, and the bit of sympathy once held for him in Marie's heart was replaced by hatred. "Look, please, just let me talk to you - "

"Don't think I'm above calling the cops, Jesse!" Marie yelled. Her heart was pounding, and she felt sick. "If you're not at the end of the street in _three _seconds..." She left the threat in the air, and silence fell. The seconds ticked by, and Marie finally pulled away from the door, satisfied. She nodded and went to turn, but Jesse's voice called quietly to her.

"I'm so sorry. Marie, I'm so...I'm sorry, okay?"

She moved closer, and peeked through the side window. He was crying, leaning against the wood like it was the only thing keeping him up. Jesse noticed the movement from the curtains, and looked at her desperately. Marie opened and closed her mouth, unsure of what to say.

Jesse continued. "If you only could understand what...what I'm dealin' with, here..." A couple of his fingers brushed along the glass. "If you only knew h-how sorry...sorry I am, for everything."

Something hardened Marie's heart again. Perhaps it was the sincerity in the young man's voice - something giving her a chance to forgive. She just wasn't ready for that - she hadn't made it past the anger. She shook her head as fresh tears formed in her eyes. "Jesse, get out of here. I don't ever want to see you again, okay? Do you understand?"

For some reason, he didn't. He only cried more, and fell to his knees. "I'm sorry your husband died!" He yelled. "He shouldn't have died - not even Mr. White wanted it to happen!"

Marie's fingers flew into her hair. "Stop it! Just stop it!"

"Your husband is a hero, Marie," he sobbed. "He's a hero, and he died with honor, and all that stuff! Y-You don't ever have to forgive me, or Mr. White, but just know..." Jesse paused, his body twitching. "Just believe me in that. I'm so sorry..."

He'd gone after that. Marie had remained there, still as a statue, until her right hand had found a will of its own. It slammed into the wooden door, and the pain Marie felt from it wasn't even close to what she felt inside. She opened the door, looking for no one, and that's who she found. The street was quiet, serene, far from the turmoil Marie felt. She sighed and let her head drop - and that's when she noticed it.

There was a small packet, tinted blue and unmistakable. Marie knew exactly what it was as she picked it up, and with only one last glance outside, she closed the door and locked it. So, with her aching wrist, she found herself at the table, peering at the drugs. She'd tried drugs - just once, despite the lie she'd told Skyler - so it'd been a long time. Having a husband in Drug Enforcement didn't exactly get her a buzz now and then, and she'd never questioned it. Now that he was gone, though, who was to stop her?

It didn't take long to make the decision. She'd cut it and shaped it into a line, and though not very gracefully, had snorted it. The shock hit her and faded off instantly, pulling her into a comfortable lull. She rubbed at her nose, sneezing once, and shuddered. "Wow...okay, wow."

"Wow, what? The hell are you doing?"

Marie toppled over in her seat. She looked up, and found none other than her deceased husband regarding her in amusement. "H...H-Hank!"

"I'd, uh, help you up, but I'm kind of just a figment, here. You know, since you're high as a damn kite."

She couldn't get up. Instead, she remained on the floor and sobbed. Her heart was breaking into a million, irreplaceable pieces. "This can't be happening..."

Hank only shrugged and crouched down next to her. She noticed he was dressed in the outfit she'd last seen him in. "Baby, why question it? I'm here, aren't I? I certainly can't arrest you, so enjoy it while you can."

"No, you idiot! You're gone, and you're leaving me all alone! I have nothing...no one else to live for!"

He gave her that look, the you're-really-saying-that look, and stood. "Come here, Marie. You're gonna be like this a while, with the amount you took, so I might as well use my time wisely."

A weak laugh escaped Marie's lips. Even in her hallucination, he was still the same, gruff, grouchy cop she'd fallen in love with. She stumbled her way to the living room, and found him there. He was looking at a picture of them, and smiling. She set her eyes on it, and leaned heavily on the mantle. "What is it, Hank?" She sighed.

He rested his hands in his pockets. "This is the last picture we ever took together. I'm kind of glad you were so pushy about it - now you'll have it with you forever." He looked at her seriously, but a smile graced his lips. "I'll always be watchin' over you, Marie. Don't you ever forget that, okay?"

She nodded, feeling utter happiness and sadness at the same time. She remembered Jesse's words, and crumpled into a ball on the carpet. "Jesse Pinkman said you're a hero. You didn't die in vain - that kind of thing."

He stood over her, and she looked up hazily at him. "You believe him?"

Without hesitation, she nodded. "I do. You're _my_ hero, Hank. Everything you've ever done, and not just in this last year..." A lump rose in her throat. "You're everything to me. I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'll miss you, too, babe. Just promise me something; if you ever get married again, make sure the guy treats you better than I did."

She shook her head. She didn't want to hear that. Was that what he would really say, if he were here? "Hank..."

"Promise me, Marie," he replied quietly. He was sitting next to her now, waiting for her answer. "Promise me you'll let someone take care of you, until we can see each other again. It might be a while, yeah, but it's okay."

_"I gotta go. It may be a while before I get home. I love you." _His last words to her. At least they hadn't been arguing. At least they'd said what they needed to.

Marie nodded. "I promise, Hank. I love you, too."


End file.
